You woke up the next morning by someone excessively shaking you, you swat away the hand but whoever it is retaliated by putting their whole body weight on you, "Wake up!"
Ugh, the whole night came back to you after hearing Sarah's voice, you slept in her room because she drank too much the night before, and you wanted to make sure she was safe. "How are you so bubbly this morning, you were so drunk Rafe and I literally carried you to bed."
"I don't get hangovers. Just lucky I guess," she said with what you could imagine was a sweet smile that was missed by you since your face was still in the pillow.
"It's way too early for so much pep, Sarah."
"Well, you don't really have a choice in the matter. Ever since that oh-so-convincing lie you told Ward about your plans for community service, he's been pestering me to do more, so he signed us up to clean the beach today."
You groaned into your pillow, "Ughh, what time is it? I only went to bed a few hours ago, I'm a teenager, I need more sleep, I'm still growing!"
Sarah laughed, "No more sleep for you today, you'll just be responsible and come home early for a good night's rest tonight."
"When is this 'clean the beach' thing?"
"Topper will be here to pick us up in a half hour."
Another groan. Finally, you poked your face away from the pillow and opened your eyes, "Is Rafe going to be there?"
She scoffed, "Doubt it, that guy doesn't have a charitable bone in his body."
You sat up, rubbing your hands over your face, "Good."
"Good? What? You two seemed to be getting along pretty well last night."
"Yeah, well, that was before we got home." You didn't want to think about that kiss, in fact, you refused to, you decided denial was the best way to handle that situation.
"Now you have to tell me what happened!"
You really didn't want to talk about it, but you also didn't want to lie to her. You opened your mouth, unsure what words were going to come out when your phone rang. Saved by the bell. Unfortunately, it was just an alarm, so you didn't sleep the day away, so it was not much of a distraction. You accepted your fate with a sigh and sent off a quick text to JB that you wouldn't be able to make it this morning. With a quick goodbye to Sarah, you quickly ran to your room to get ready.
You were surprised that when Sarah said Topper was going to pick you up, she meant on his expensive ass boat. You still felt so out of place with all this extravagance, you felt like a fake, like you didn't belong. You couldn't deny it was exciting, but at the same time, you felt disgusted at yourself for falling deeper into all these unnecessary shows of wealth, and all the waste that went along with it. You realized a while ago that if you were going to hang out with Sarah and her friends, there was going to be alcohol involved, so you weren't surprised that a drink was handed to you before you even sat down on the boat.
The money wasn't the only reason you felt out of place in the boat, you also felt like the third wheel, it was just you, Sarah, and Topper. Topper was driving with his arm hung around Sarah, his hand dangerously close to fondling her ass as you were sitting at the back of the boat with your head laying on the stern of the boat as you were looking up in the sky bored out of your mind. You enjoyed your time with Sarah so much more when Topper wasn't around, she turned into almost a different person around him, pretentious, or more pretentious, anyway.
"Ugh," Topper spat, almost drawing your attention enough to look at him but not quite.
"What?" Sarah asked.
"I just hate them, they're just no good, always so jealous of what we have so they try to ruin it for us."
"I don't know, some of them aren't too bad."
Their conversation finally drew your attention, so you looked up and saw that the HMS Pogue was driving by in the opposite direction with all your friends on board. You noticed your friends were having a stare off with Topper and Sarah, Sarah looking down her nose at them. It kinda pissed you off considering she was at JB's with you just a few days ago. So you smiled and waved your hand widely at everyone, not letting the stuck-up people with you mess with your friendships.
"Hey, guys!"
JB smiled at you, while JJ waved back and Pope quirked his lips, Kiara stared at you as darkly as she was staring at Sarah, and that was starting to piss you off too. John B yelled across the water, "So this is why you ditched us today?"
You laughed, "We're being good samaritans, I'll call you when I'm done."
He winked at you, then turned his direction back to steering as JJ raised his beer in the air in farewell. When you looked at Sarah, you saw she was standing awkwardly as Topper kept looking at you over his shoulder. It was awkwardly silent for a few long moments before Topper spoke, "You know, I know you're new around here, so it's probably just simple naivety, but those guys are trouble. You have an opportunity to have more than you ever could have imagined while you were in Florida, don't let them ruin it for you."
The condescension in his voice made you want to smack him, the asshole had the audacity to call you naive? Fuck, you doubt he had to ever work for anything a day in his life, he had no idea what real life was. Sarcastically, you replied, "Thanks for the advice, Top. I'll be sure to keep it in mind."
"Anytime, any friend of Sarah's is a friend of mine, so I'm just looking out for you."
You rolled your eyes before leaning back and watching the clouds as they passed by. This was going to be a long morning.
"God, I still don't get why you hang out with her, and I get even less why you let her in on the treasure hunt," Kie said for what felt like the hundredth time. Her arms were crossed tight over her chest, and she shot a glare toward where you were on Topper's boat, oblivious to the conversation. "Look at her. She's clearly one of them."
JJ draped an arm lazily around her shoulders, attempting to diffuse her frustration with his usual charm. "Come on, Kie, don't be like that. You know you're our number one girl. But seriously, she's cool. She's down to help us, even down to slum it in The Cut, and she's rich—just like you. I'm telling you, give her a chance, and you'd probably vibe."
Kie huffed, unconvinced. "Yeah, well, I might be your favorite, but I'm not so sure John B feels the same way. He's clearly letting his hormones make all the decisions for him."
Pope and JJ immediately burst out laughing, both nodding like she'd just said the most profound truth. JJ grinned devilishly and added, "Oh, for sure. He wants in her pants so bad it's painful to watch. Like, I'm talking 'sad puppy' levels of obvious."
John B's only response was flipping JJ the bird over his shoulder, but his ears had gone suspiciously red.
"Still," Pope interjected, stepping in to play peacekeeper as always, "you can't deny she's actually helped us a ton. We wouldn't have gotten this far without her."
Kie's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? We'd have been fine without her."
John B sighed, finally turning around to face her. "Seriously? The scuba gear, for one. Or the fact that she was the one who actually went down to the boat. She's the only one who could fit through that hole in the crypt, and she got me out of being arrested for a felony. Oh, and let's not forget how she kept the compass from the cops. She's done as much for this treasure hunt as any of us. Hell, maybe even more than some of us."
Kie's jaw dropped, her eyes flashing with indignation. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you saying I'm not helping?"
"What? No! That's not what I meant!" John B held up his hands in surrender. "Kie, you're my best friend. You know that. But she's my friend too. And whether you like it or not, she's one of us now. Remember, you were the one who agreed to let her be a Pogue. So, like we always do when there's beef, you two have to just smoke and drink it out till you're good again. Deal?"
"Amen to that, bro," JJ chimed in, throwing an arm around John B and pulling Kie in with him. "Now come on, Kie, give us your best Pogue grin and stop being so salty."
Kie groaned, rolling her eyes but finally cracking a reluctant smile. "Fine. But if she screws this up, I get to say 'I told you so.'"
John B grinned, relieved. "Deal. But don't hold your breath on that one, Kie."
They got off the HMS Pogue and went straight for The Twinkie, ready to start their mission.
"Alright, keep a lookout, we're behind enemy lines," JJ said as he pulled the gun out of nowhere and started loading it.
"Fuck, yo, come on, man, just put it back," JB said while parking the car.
"What?"
"JJ…"
"You can never be too careful."
"Hey," Pope starts as he rests his arms on the opened window, "I predict bringing a weapon into a four-star hotel will likely cause more problems than it will solve."
"Thank you, Pope," JB said as Kie was climbing to the front of the van.
"I swear to God that I'm going to throw that thing in the ocean, JJ," Kie warned. "Put it back."
It looked like JJ was going to ignore everyone so JB grabbed the gun from him, not giving him the option. Pope sounded relieved when he said, "There you go."
"You can't grab a gun like that," JJ imparted as he grabbed his work badge and started getting out of the van along with everyone else. "Professional busboy."
"So where are we going with this?" Pope asked.
"We're getting on the internet because only rich people have electricity right now." JJ reminded.
It was their easiest and most successful mission yet, JJ walked in, greeting everyone in the back of the house, getting smiles in return, then quickly led his friends to the computers, where they were able to type in the coordinates that were written on the map Big John left JB and were able to find the exact location of them. After that, they went to The Wreck to figure out their next steps and hopefully get some free food out of Kie's parents. JB held himself back all day but when he sat down at the booth he couldn't help but send out a text.
You felt your phone vibrate in your pocket, quickly, you pulled it out, thankful for the break from work.
Trouble Maker: We're one step closer. I bet you're upset you missed it.
You: Hmm, a crazy treasure hunting adventure, or cleaning up a beach with a bunch of people you don't know who are all getting drunk around you. You might be onto something.
Trouble Maker: Ditch 'em.
You roll your eyes.
You: I think we're almost done here. I'll lyk when I'm free.
You put your phone away, not waiting for or expecting a response, and look up to the sound of Sarah's laughter. You can't help but laugh when you see the face of disgust she's making as she said, "Jeez, what on earth did you put in that? Here, cuz, try this."
You accepted the water bottle automatically before sniffing it and making the same face as your cousin. Kelsey chimed in, "Go on, new girl, take a sip."
You shrugged and took one, the bottle being snatched out of your hand before you even brought it all the way back down. You were planning on yelling at whoever was so rude but were surprised when you turned to see it was Wheezie, your youngest cousin. "What? Since when do you drink?"
"Uhm, since today," She said in her normal teenage attitude.
"God, she just pisses me off soo much! I mean, who does she think she is? I was just trying to be nice. Plus, whether she wants to admit it or not, she's one of us, and she's got the money to prove it. Plus, her friends are even worse. Ugh, Kiara pisses me off so bad!" Sarah changed the subject while confiding in her boyfriend.
"I always told you those guys are trouble; they're always up to no good around town, and they're just going to drag down whoever hangs out with them. That's why I warned you, Peach, nothing good will come out of you hitching your wagon to them," Topper imparted, trying to sound full of wisdom but you couldn't help but think he just sounded full of himself.
You saluted him with two fingers in a sarcastic show of thanks before turning your attention back to cleaning the beach. The next hour was spent with your cousin and her friends, everyone getting drunk around you. You kept your eyes on Wheezie, who was drinking way more than you, way more than you were comfortable with, but you didn't think it was your place to say anything. You cleaned for another hour before the man who organized everything called everyone in a circle, said a strange prayer to the Big Kahoona, whoever that was, and then released you all for the day.
A half-hour later, you and Sarah were in the bathroom, holding Wheezie's hair back as she threw up the alcohol and everything else she had in her stomach, gross. You slowly rubbed her back as Sarah got her a glass of water. Sarah waited until her sister flushed the toilet before speaking, "So, what have we learned?"
"Ugh, never mix vodka with crystal light."
You snorted, "Think you might be missing the point there a little bit, Wheez."
With the attitude of a drunk person, she rolled her eyes and said, "Oh don't you start, Peach, I've seen you come home clearly under the influence multiple times since you moved in."
"But I never once got so drunk I had to empty my stomach."
Sarah pointed at you in agreement. Wheezie sighed, stood up, and started walking towards the door.
"Whatever, I'm going to bed." She stopped and turned to you two, "Please don't tell Dad."
"I won't. On one condition," Sarah said.
She sighed, "What's that?"
"You cover for me sneaking out with Topper tonight."
"Oh, same! I need coverage too," you spoke up, not sure what exactly the plans were for tonight, but you had a feeling it'd be smart to be prepared.
"Please," You and Sarah both managed to say at the same time.
She sighed again, "Fine."
She continued her walk to the bathroom door but quickly ran back to the toilet to throw up again. You lifted your hands to start helping her again, but you stopped when your phone started ringing. Sarah nodded at you, letting you know she had Wheezie, so with a quick smile, you left the bathroom and looked at your phone. A small smile came over your face when you saw it was John B. You quickly ran to your room, shut the door, and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Sunshine, long time no see," He said, you could hear the smirk you were sure he was wearing in his voice.
"Oh yeah, a whole 12 hours, it might be a new record," You joke.
He chuckled, "We need your help. Are you in?"
"Hmm, I don't know," You said, as if you weren't sure, "For you? Sure. What do you need?"
"We'll explain when we pick you up. We'll be there in 20." You heard the sound of the call disconnecting.
You sighed and looked at the time before quickly changing and making your way downstairs. You went around looking for Ward or Rose to let them know that you were leaving. You heard voices coming from the back patio, you took a few steps forward but quickly stood to the side, out of sight, when you realized it was Ward and Rafe arguing, you couldn't help listening in.
"…I just don't feel like you care enough!"
"I said I do!" Rafe yelled.
"Yeah, you said it." Ward's voice grew louder.
"What do you want me to say?"
"I don't want you to say anything, I want you to take care of business."
"Okay!"
"Where are the backup generators? I gave you money for the backup generators. You said you would take care of it, did you take care of it? Where are they?"
Rafe's voice got quieter, calmer, "They're on back order."
"Yeah, of course, they are," It was clear he didn't believe his son, you didn't either.
"There was a hurricane."
"I'll tell you what, you know that Pogue you hate so much, the one that's taking up so much of Peach's time? He's way more reliable than you."
You cringed, if you knew Rafe at all, that was going to set him off, especially because of last night. Since he tried to kiss you, you wondered if he hated JB so much because he was jealous. No, don't think about the kiss, denial, remember? Rafe's voice was incredulous, "Really?"
"Yes, really! You need to get it together, Rafe, or you can go live on the cut." Rafe laughed, "Is that funny to you?"
"Wow."
"You can go live on the damn Cut, Rafe, as far as I'm concerned."
There was a charged silence, and without thinking it through, you made yourself known. Knowing Rafe, he was about to say something stupid, something that might really get him kicked out. You might be pissed at Rafe after last night but you didn't want to see him kicked out, left to his own devices.
"Hey Uncle Ward, Rafe. How are you two this pretty day?"
Ward's face immediately changes into a warm sincere smile, "Hey Sweetheart, how was cleaning up the beach? Did all my girls make it home okay?"
"Oh yeah, we're fine. I think Wheezie got too much sun, so she's taking a nap and Sarah is around here somewhere." You pointedly ignored Rafe, working your hardest not to look his way.
"That's good, that's good. You look all pretty, do you have plans?"
"Yeah, uh, my friends are on their way to pick me up."
"Who, John B?" Rafe cut in sounding disgusted.
You finally looked at him just long enough to give him a dirty look, then you turned your attention back to your uncle. He looked at you as if he wanted to know the answer too, he'd just have asked much more kindly. "Well, not just John B, but yeah, he's who's picking me up."
Ward sighed, he turned his attention back to Rafe, "Now get up and get outta here, I'm sick of looking at you. Make yourself useful somewhere, somehow."
Rafe opened his mouth to reply, but he looked at you quickly before letting his shoulders slump, and then he got up and stormed away. You couldn't help but watch him leave. Your heart panged, he was going through something, and he was your friend, kinda, anyway. You wanted to help him, but on the other hand, you figured it probably wasn't your place to do it, especially if that kiss meant he had feelings for you.
Your uncle clearing his throat brought you out of your thoughts and you turned your head back to him. "Sorry you had to see that, darlin'. I don't know what's going on in that boy's head anymore. Anyway— here, sit, come sit down while you wait."
He was patting the seat next to him which you took, "Thanks."
"I gotta ask you something, about this, uhm, friend of yours."
"JB?"
"Yeah, um, well, first, does he treat you well? Do they treat you well?"
You felt your cheeks heat, "Well, yeah, they're great friends."
"You're safety and happiness are most important to me, sweetheart, and, well, they're not exactly known for being good people."
Now it's not just your cheeks that are hot, your whole body is heating in anger, "That's just because people on this side of the island don't know them! They're great, they take care of me, and care about each other a lot!"
He held his hands up in placation, urging you to stop and calm down, "I know that already, Peach. I wouldn't have given him a job here if I didn't believe that. You saw me offer my help to him, I still hope he takes me up on it. I don't want to consider how he's living over there by himself. I pay well, but it's not like he's a full-time employee, how is he feeding himself?"
"…Oh," you said, the wind leaving your sails, "Yeah, that's true. Thank you for that, by the way, it meant a lot to me."
"Of course, he's not a bad kid, just one without proper guidance in his life. His father was a little out there if you know what I mean."
"Yeah, I heard something about that." You muttered.
"He isn't… he isn't following in his father's footsteps, is he? I know you kids been running around town and I just hope he's not bringing you into trouble by foolishly chasing stories of gold."
You didn't want to lie to your uncle, who had done so much for you but it was as if John B was standing right next to you, looking you in the eyes and telling you not to say anything, that this was a Pogue only thing and bringing anyone else into it would ruin it for everyone. You put on the most innocent smile you could muster, "What? No. He's not. I mean, he's still messed up about his dad's disappearance, sure, but he told me he always thought his dad was crazy when he talked about the gold."
Which was true, he did tell you that. Before Big John disappeared, JB thought he was just as crazy as everyone else. Ward stared at you for a long time, trying to gauge your sincerity, you stared him in the eye, not letting your unease or guilt show. Something about this situation rubbed you the wrong way but you couldn't put your finger on why. You almost felt as if your uncle was hiding something from you but you had no idea what.
Eventually, his look softened and he smiled. "Good, that's good. I know you two… care about each other, more than friends do." The heat in your cheeks was back, "And like I said, he's a good kid and I like him, I just could never forgive myself, or him, if anything happened to you in his presence and I could have done something to stop it."
You smile, "I appreciate that, Uncle Ward but I'm my own person. I make my own decisions, he doesn't force me into anything, he couldn't if he wanted to. If I were to get into any trouble, not that I'm planning on it, it'd be on me and me alone."
He stood up a little taller, his smile brightened and he held his hand out to shake, "I respect that."
You took his hand and shook it twice, "Thank you."
"Still, I'm always going to watch out for you, and if this new boyfriend of yours doesn't treat you well, he'll have me to answer to."
Damn, the blush was back again, "He— he's not my boyfriend."
His eyebrow quirked, "No? Sure looked like it to me. I don't go around holding random people's hands."
"Well, I— I mean, I like him but it's not like that, not anytime soon, anyway. I'm not ready for a boyfriend right now."
"Even better. Keep that thought going as long as you can."
You laughed, "Of course, you'd say that, it's like in the father figure's handbook."
You gasped, you didn't mean to say that out loud. Hell, you didn't even let yourself think it too often, it was dangerous. You'd never had a dad or father figure, so over the last weeks, being here, you couldn't help but get attached to your uncle who'd gone above and beyond to make sure you were comfortable, taken care of, and happy.
His smile was beaming when he pulled you into a bear hug, and you snuggled in even closer when you felt a quick kiss at the top of your head. "You don't know how happy it makes me to hear you say that. You might not be mine by blood, but you're as much a part of this family as the rest of us."
You were embarrassed to admit you felt tears prickle your eyes. Thankfully, the loud sound that could only be The Twinkie came into earshot so you turned around, seeing the car pull into the long driveway. You cleared your throat as you pulled out of the hug, "Thanks, Uncle Ward, for everything. I'll see you later."
He nodded so you started walking down the driveway to where the van stopped when he called out, making you look over your shoulder, "Remember what I said, Peach."
That strange feeling came over you again; it definitely felt like he knew more than he was letting on. A second later, you shook the thought off because that was crazy, and so you gave him a thumbs up. You turned your attention back to the van and saw JB had gotten out to greet you, so you walked up to him with a smile on your face and wrapped your arms around his neck in a hug. Your smile turned softer when you felt his hands wrap around you, holding you so gently as if he was afraid to let you go and afraid to hold on too tight at the same time.
"Hey there, Johnny. How was your most recent mission without me?" you teased, leaning in close enough to catch a whiff of the ocean lingering on his skin. Your fingers brushed his ever-present bandana, and you couldn't help but smirk. "You know, I'm starting to think you were born with this thing on. What's the story there? Sentimental value or just a fashion statement?"
"Boring," he said dramatically, his arms wrapping around your waist for a quick squeeze. "Turns out I've gotten spoiled having you around. You make things… interesting." His grin was boyish, but his voice dipped lower at the end, making your cheeks flush. You noticed he didn't comment on the bandana.
"Interesting, huh?" You arched a brow, stepping back just enough to put a playful edge in your voice. "Don't worry, Johnny. I plan to be glued to your side until we get that gold—whether you like it or not."
"Good. Great, actually." He scratched the back of his neck as he led you to the car, then opened the passenger door with an almost shy grin. "Today went so smoothly it freaked me out, though. Probably the smoothest plan I've ever pulled off."
You slid into the seat, biting back a laugh as you caught the pink tint in his cheeks. "Uh oh. That means we're doomed. The universe is gonna balance that out with chaos real soon."
He leaned on the car door, grinning down at you. "What, no faith in me?"
"Oh, I have faith," you shot back with a grin. "Faith in your ability to stumble into trouble."
He laughed, closing the door and jogging around to the driver's side. Once inside, he gave you a mock-offended look. "Stumble into trouble? I prefer to think of it as a strategic collision."
You snorted. "Sure, if by 'strategic collision,' you mean pure dumb luck half the time."
"Hey, I'll have you know, luck is just preparation meeting opportunity," he shot back, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
"Mm-hmm. Who told you that, Pope? So tell me, what's the latest 'opportunity' you need my help with?" you asked, leaning your elbow on the console as you turned to face him.
"Wouldn't you like to know," he said, his smirk widening. "But if I tell you, you're officially in, no backing out."
"Oh, Johnny," you said with a mock sigh, your lips twitching into a smile. "When have I ever backed out of one of your harebrained schemes?"
"True," he said, glancing at you out of the corner of his eye as he started the engine. "Guess I've got you exactly where I want you."
You raised a brow. "You sure about that?"
His grin grew, and he let his gaze linger on you just a second longer than usual before pulling onto the road. "Yeah. I'm sure."
He spent the while ride picking up your friends explaining what they did that day without you and how they needed to go to JJ's dad's old job to get a drone so you guys could go out into the water and find the Royal Merchant and the 400 million in gold on it. After he finished explaining it all, you were buzzing with excitement, you couldn't believe it, you guys were going to actually find the gold tonight. Well, after a little felony theft.
The car ride was lively to the salvage yard, the thrum of excitement for what could happen tonight went through all of you. Well, other than Pope, he was worried as always. JB was trying to calm him down, "…I'm telling you, Pope, we're not stealing the drone, we're just borrowing it."
"Yeah, we'll give it back before they even know it's missing." You tried to placate.
"Humans are the only animals who can't tell fantasy from reality," He said stoically, looking out of the window.
"Wait, did you come up with that?" JB asked.
You laughed, his eyes shot to you in question, "Einstein came up with that if I remember correctly.
Pope put one finger on his nose and pointed at you with his other hand without taking his eyes from the window, letting you know you were right. "Yeah, he did, it applies to this whole treasure-hunting thing, I think."
"Oh," John B said, not sounding like he was looking forward to whatever knowledge his friend was about to impart.
"So, which is it? Reality or fantasy?" Pope asked.
Sitting next to him in the backseat while rolling a blunt, JJ spoke up, "Why are you so weird, Pope?"
"It's fantasy but possibly reality," Kie decided.
"Yeah, you can believe it's reality all you want, but it's fantasy right up till the moment you have that gold in your hands. The same goes for anything, really." You chime in.
"Reality," John B said determined.
"Virtual reality," JJ said as he started to light his blunt.
Pope grabbed it from him and flicked it away, "Keep the signals clear."
"You know what your problem is?" JJ asked him.
"You?"
"No, it's that you need to relax. You're always so tense."
"I'm not too tense."
"So tense," JJ disagreed.
The van rolled to a stop, its engine sputtering before cutting off. Across from you, Kiara's SUV sat waiting, its headlights casting a glare against the van's windows. The guys shifted in their seats, their gazes darting between you and Kiara as if silently acknowledging the unspoken tension. You realized, for the first time, that you'd have to work with her—and just her—for this plan to succeed.
The thought settled uncomfortably in your chest. Whatever animosity Kiara had towards you would be impossible to ignore now, and you silently kicked yourself for not addressing it sooner. You let out a slow sigh as she slid the back door open, hopping out without so much as a glance in your direction.
Your gaze flickered back to the boys, landing on John B. His brown eyes locked on yours, and you felt a tug of reassurance in the way they softened. You nodded once, hoping it masked the unease tightening in your chest. As your hand reached for the door handle, his hand shot across the center console, warm and firm as it landed on your thigh.
"Be careful, alright?" His voice was low but insistent. "Those guys that work at the salvage yard? They're not exactly known for being, uh… respectful upstanding citizens."
You gasped dramatically, your hand flying to your chest like he'd just delivered the most shocking news. "John B," you said, feigning offense, "if you think there's anyone in town who'd use the words 'respectful' and 'upstanding citizen' to describe you, I've got some bad news."
JJ burst out laughing, slapping the back of John B's seat. "She's got you there, man."
John B rolled his eyes, but his lips twitched in the smallest of smiles. "Okay, fine, point taken. But you know what I mean. Just… be careful, alright?"
Your smile softened, and you rested your hand on top of his, interlacing your fingers. "Always."
Before the moment could settle, JJ leaned into the front seat, snatching your hand away and cradling it like it was the most precious thing in the world. "Peach," he said in a high, dramatic voice, his eyes wide and pleading. "Please, be careful dealing with those brutes! I don't know how I'd survive another day without gazing into your beautiful eyes and basking in the glow of your radiant smile!"
You couldn't help but laugh, and John B smacked JJ's hands off you with a grumble. "Asshole," he muttered under his breath, his ears turning slightly pink. "I do not sound like that."
"Poetic," you teased, shooting JJ a grin.
"Bro, you definitely sound like that," Pope chimed in from the back, his laugh joining the chorus.
You opened your mouth to retort, but a sharp knock on your door cut you off. You turned to see Kiara standing there, arms crossed and her expression a mix of annoyance and impatience. "Are we doing this, or are you guys just gonna sit here giggling like idiots?"
With one last glance over your shoulder, you slipped out of the van, the playful warmth from your friends fading as you followed Kiara to her SUV. Her strides were brisk, her silence deafening, and you couldn't help but hope this plan didn't crash and burn like so many others before it.